


Bloodshot & Blue

by amagicbeyond



Series: Reverse Crypt Scenes [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Season/Series 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amagicbeyond/pseuds/amagicbeyond
Summary: Staggered footsteps ring through stone halls, and Dean braces himself for another person-turned-animal, another attack dog, and swears to himself that, somehow, some way, he won’t kill another. He turns, and there is Cas.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Reverse Crypt Scenes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/106859
Kudos: 25





	Bloodshot & Blue

**Author's Note:**

> A speculative fic written pre-season 11, when all we had to go on was the possibility of Cas being under Rowena's attack dog spell. Not a REVERSE crypt scene, technically, what can I say. I'm including it in this series anyway.

Dean has had enough of this.

He’s bone-weary, he’s heavy, he’s completely drained. He’s betrayed. He lets his head hang, eyes closed, as fresh blood drips from the knife in his hand. He didn’t want to kill another innocent, another victim of Rowena’s godforsaken curse.

_It was them or me._

He wasn’t sure the _me_ was worth it anymore.

_They were just going to die anyway._

He understands why Sam did it. That’s the worst part. He understands, and he isn’t angry, because Dean set the example for his little brother his entire life. Anything to save each other. Burn the whole world down. Everything that matters.

He is old, and he knows better now.

Staggered footsteps ring through stone halls, and Dean braces himself for another person-turned-animal, another attack dog, and swears to himself that, somehow, some way, he won’t kill another.

He turns, and there is Cas.

“No,” he whispers.

Cas stops in the stone arch of the doorway and drags his head up to look at Dean, zombie-like, sickening, wrong. Telltale blood drips from eyes, like evil, tainted tears. His tie is askew.

In his hand he grips the First Blade.

“Cas,” Dean says, and he hears his own voice breaking, and he can’t stop it. He thought Cas at least would be safe from her. “You’re an angel- how-”

Cas is not interested in technical improbabilities. He takes a halting step toward Dean, and Dean’s mind flashes back to a dusty crypt and the taste of blood and fear but this is worse, so much worse. Dean swallows, and holds up his own, futile knife between them.

“Cas,” he says, stronger. “Listen to me. The witch has put you under a spell. You’ve got to snap out of it or it’s going to kill you. Do you hear me?”

Cas is looking at him but his eyes are dank and dull. He is breathing heavily. Dean hopes beyond hope that an angel’s vessel is stronger than a human’s.

“You can fight this,” Dean says, standing his ground. “Look at me. I’m fighting. I’ve been fighting all along.”

The Mark is but an old, familiar pain, pulsing at the nearness of the Blade. Dean ignores it, focuses instead on the bloodshot blue eyes of his best friend. Cas lifts the Blade, but hesitates.

_Please_ , Dean prays to him. _You are strong enough._

Cas’ face screws up as if he’s in pain. He lets out a fierce, wordless yell, and lunges.

It’s all Dean can do to stop the descent of the Blade, gripping Cas’ arm tightly through the creases of his trench coat, using his other hand to push against Cas’ chest. The Mark flares hot as Dean draws strength from it, just enough to barely match Cas’ own.

_I won’t give in_.

He cannot let himself submit to the Mark’s full power.

“Cas,” he chokes out again. “Please.”

Cas’ face is wild and distraught and through the crisp fabric of his shirt Dean can feel his heart beating frantically, too fast, too fast.

“Cas,” Dean says, pressing there, begging silently for Cas to _feel_ him there, to know him. A tear blurs his vision and escapes the corner of his eye. “It’s going to kill you. Look at me. Look at me!”

The downward force of the Blade suddenly lessens as Cas’ eyes find Dean’s. Bloodied but blue, all at once Dean can see _Cas_ there again.

“Dean,” he says, plaintively, and then his eyes roll back in his head.

Dean catches him, gracelessly, as Cas’ knees buckle and they both collapse to the ground.

“No, no, no, no,” Dean says as he shifts Cas’ weight, cradling his head and shoulders on his lap, the stone floor rough and bracing against his knees. “No, Cas, please-”

He doesn’t know what he’s saying, he only knows he’s tasted this fear before and never wanted to again. He brushes Cas’ hair from his forehead, pushes his fingers into the hollow of his throat, seeking a pulse, finding none. He shakes him, roughly.

“You’re an angel,” he says. “You’re an angel. You can’t be-”

A footstep makes him lift his head.

_Sammy_.

Sam stands in the archway, a look of horror on his face, and hot, sick anger floods through Dean.

“You did this,” he says. He doesn’t know his own voice.

“Dean-”

“You killed him.”

“Dean, I didn’t-”

Dean lowers Cas’ body gently to the floor, cups Cas’ cheek in his hand, and then stands. His fingers twitch toward the Blade, lying there, calling to him from the floor at his feet.

“You made a deal with that _witch_ ,” he spits, and steps toward his brother. “And look at what you’ve done.”

He flings his arm backward but he can’t look himself, won’t turn around and face the truth because he thinks he’s found his breaking point.

“Dean- I never- I would never-”

“Of course you would never!” Dean bellows. “But we do! We do, every time! The Winchester brothers would do _anything_ to save each other. But what is it worth? Is it worth _this_?”

Sam’s face is crumpled. Dean’s anger is not all for him.

“Every godforsaken thing that we care about,” he says, softer, broken. “Everyone that we love. Thrown under the bus.”

Sam won’t look at him.

“It ends here,” Dean says. “It ends _now_. Cas-”

He stops, because he can’t go on.

Sam, finally raises his head, and his eyes are very red. “I am so sorry, Dean.”

Silence falls between them, and in that silence, a barely perceptible rumbling. Dean frowns, as the rumbling grows and stones begin to shake around him.

“What-” says Sam.

A flash of brilliant bluish-white, and they’re both thrown bodily into the stone archway. Disoriented, wincing, Dean clambers to his feet, quickly checking to make sure that Sam’s okay. His little brother looks up at him.

And then there’s a groan that is the most beautiful goddamned sound Dean has ever heard. He turns, slowly, just in case it’s too good to be true.

Bloodstained but whole, Cas leans on an elbow, looking mildly surprised and more than a little confused. “Dean.”

Dean doesn’t think, Dean moves, and by the time Cas has pushed himself painfully to his feet Dean is there, throwing his arms around him, squeezing his eyes shut as Cas’ arms close around him in return. He doesn’t care that Sammy’s watching, he doesn’t care if Rowena shows up right now with a hundred more human guard dogs, Cas is alive, _Cas is alive, Cas is alive_.

His face buried in Cas’ neck, Dean knows he’s left a tear behind when he finally pulls back.

“I thought I told you,” he says gruffly, hands on Cas’ shoulders. “ _Never_ do that again.”

Cas’ eyes are wide, but bright. “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

They turn to Sam.

“Cas, I-”

“I know why you did it, Sam.” Cas says. He is still gripping Dean’s elbow. “I cannot blame you.”

“No,” says Sam, coming toward them. “Dean is right. I’ve been doing this all wrong.” He looks Dean. “We’ve been doing this all wrong our whole lives.”

Dean looks at him.

“We’ll find a cure, Dean,” says Sam. “But we’ll do it together. All of us.”

Cas is watching him. Eyes back to blue.

Dean meets Sammy's eyes, and gives the barest of nods. They will.


End file.
